Menopause is regarded by most women as the most challenging episode in their lives. This is because menopause can cause a great deal of bodily changes as well as psychological ones. In any case, menopause poses a lot of problems, most of which is due to hormonal changes. In turn, these hormonal changes may trigger other reactions in the body that can cause adverse effects. One of the reactions due to hormonal changes is hypothyroidism.
Hypothyroidism is defined when a persons’ thyroid gland is sluggish or does not produce enough hormones. As a result of the reduction of these hormones, certain bodily functions, especially metabolism, are severely restricted. Hypothyroidism is one of the many ailments that can affect women. The situation can cause weight gain, a sluggish metabolism, as well as other adverse health effects.
How Are Menstruation and Hypothyroidism Related?
The correlation between hypothyroidism and menopause should be alarming enough. Although only about 20 percent of hypothyroidism cases is due to menopause, what is undeniable is that menstrual changes are still the main cause for having hypothyroidism. When a woman approaches her menopausal years, her body undergoes radical hormonal changes. These changes then manifest physically in mood swings, cold and hot flushes, irritability, and so many other symptoms associated with menopause. In some instances, the changes may be so drastic as to effect the way that a woman’s self esteem.
The incidence of hypothyroidism is greater in women than in men. This greater incidence in women is a result of the need to delicately balance the hormones in a woman’s body. If the balance is not maintained, the result is detrimental to the thyroid gland and may lead to hypothyroidism. Another factor which causes a greater incidence of the ailment in women than in men is that because the hormonal balance in a woman is altered every now and then due to her monthly period.
Most cases of hypothyroidism in women is due to having greater amounts of estrogen as opposed to the level of progesterone. When this happens, the way to treating the condition is to limit estrogen production to balance the level of progesterone.
What are the Ways to Treat Hormonal Disorders due to Menopause?
Although menopause-related hormonal disorders are quite common, the consensus is that one should let them be, allowing the body to heal them naturally. This in spite of the fact that hormonal changes may cause adverse effects on the body. However, in the event of more lasting hormonal disorder such as hypothyroidism, there is a need to intervene with the situation, especially when the person is long past the menopausal stage.
The following are some of the methods for treating hypothyroidism:
* Through hormone-stimulating drugs. This is usually done to convert the thyroxine hormone in the body into a form that can be easily and readily used by the body.
* Using progesterone creams to offset the estrogen dominance in the body. Doing so provides a quick solution to high level of estrogen as opposed to a lower level of progesterone.
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Abortion Clinics. Dr. James S. Pendergraft opened the
Ocala Abortion Clinics in March 1996 to provide a full range of health care for women, including abortion clinics in orlando, physical examinations, family planning, counseling, laboratory services and sexually transmitted disease screening and counseling.
